Spectacular display apparatus.



G. T. THOMPSON. SPECTACULAR DISPLAY APPARATUS. APPLICATION mum $213.18, 1914.

1,106,255. Patented Aug. 4, 1914.

n mfi m Q07? a gson UNT GEORGE T. THOMPSON, OF WASHINGTON, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA.

SPECTACULAR DISPLAY APPARATUS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 4, 1914.

Application filed February 18, 1914. Serial No. 819,488.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE T. THOMPSON, a citizen of the United States of America, residing at Vashington, in the District of Columbia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Spectacular Display Apparatus, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to apparatus of the same general character as that form ing the subject matter of U. S. Letters Patent No. 1,034,714, granted August 6, 1912 to David G. Kindlebergcr, and wherein is disclosed a display apparatus comprising a sling adapted to be connected to an instrument to be displayed; an elevating connection for said sling adapted to permit freedom of lateral motion to the instrument suspended; means for impartingand controlling such lateral motion while permitting freedom of vertical movement thereto; a swivel through which the instrument to be displayed is connected to its elevating and lateral movementconnections, and means for imparting rotary motion to the instrument independently of the elevating and lateral movement connections. 1

The present invention has for its object to provide certain improvements in the several elements of mechanism above enumerated, whereby the respective movements, vertical, lateral and revoluble, may not only be executed with greater ease and safety, but brought under more exact control and combined at will for the purposeof developing paths of movement resulting from the combination of two or more of the elementary movements enumerated.

To these ends, the invention consists partly in certain novel elements entering into organizations of some or all of the parts above enumerated; partly in certain cooperative relationships of such novel elements with said parts or with each other; and partly in the details of construction of such novel elements per se, as will be hereinafter fully described and particularly pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawing-Figure 1 is an elevation of an illustrative embodiment of the several features of the oresent invention; Fig. 2 is a section on the line Pi -2* ofgFig. 1, and Fig. 3 is a detail view of a part similarly lettered in Fig. 1, as seen from the left.

One feature of the present invention consists in providing a duplex suspending and elevating connection with one end anchored and the other operated upon to develop vertical movement; and in providing means for exercising very much easier control over the operated end; and to these ends the instrument to be displayed, for instance a piano A, suspended by the previously known sling a. through the medium of a swivel 6, receives its main support from a cable 1 anchored at 1, passing over an overhead fixed pulley 1, thence around the shackle pulley 1, thence over the fixed overhead pulley 1, thence over guide-sheave 1, and terminating at a block 1 through which the suspending cable is to be controlled. Block 1 receives the operating cable 2, one end of which is attached to a winding drum 2 under control of cranks 2, whence it passes through block 1, thence around a guide-sheave co-aXial with the winding drum 2, and thence upward to an anchoring point 2. The block 1 is constructed with a suitable runner through which it is adapted to be guided on a rod 3 which is anchored at 3 and 3" in a substantially taut condition. From the foregoing construction, it is obvious that by rotating the cranks 2 in the appropriate direction, the instrument of display may be raised or lowered and that by reason of the duplex suspending cable and the duplex controlling cable, a relatively small force will be required in raising and lowering the instrument. It will further be seen that by reason of the separated points of suspension 1", 1 for the cable 1, said cable will tend to resist rotation of the pulley 1.

Another feature of the present invention relates to means for imparting rotary movement to the sling a upon its swivel Z), adapted to impart such movements repeatedly at will, either in the same or in reverse directions, and to remain in control of rotary movement of the display device notwithstanding lateral swinging movements or changes in vertical position and without in any way interfering therewith. And to these ends, this feature of the invention consists in providing the rotating pulley on the sling, with a driving cable or belt passing around the pulley from and back to a place of manual or other control, so that by reciprocating the drive belt, the instrument may be revolved or oscillated at will. t represents the driving cable or belt and 4 the pulley mounted on the swivel b to receive the same, said drive member 4: passing around one of a pair of guide-sheaves 4: laterally offset from but opposite to the pulley 4 thence around. the guide-sheave a thence upward and around a compensating guide sheave 4P thence downward and around the guide sheave 4 thence upward and around the second guide-sheave a", and thence to the pulley 4?. To compensate for lateral swinging and vertical movements of the sling, the guide-sheave 4 is supported by a suspending cable 5 which is connected to sheave 46 at 5 and passes thence to the sheave 5 and sheave 5 to the counter-balance or sand-bag 5 beyond which it may terminate in a manipulating end 5 By this means, changes in lateral distance between the pulley r and the guide sheaves a will be compensated for, as well as changes in vertical distance between the guide-sheaves l and the sheaves 4, 4 In order to confine the guide-sheaves e laterally and permit them to move vertically with the pulley P, the sheaves 4 are mounted in a suitable runner 4: on a rod 6, which is firmly anchored at its upper and lower ends 6 6 and held taut, while a shifting cable 7 is connected to the sheaves P at 7 and passes around guide-sheaves 7 7, to the same block 1 which raises and lowers the suspending cable 1, so that changes in elevation imparted to the pulley P will be simultaneously imparted to the guide-sheaves 41 By means of the construction and cooperative relationship of these parts, oscillation or continuous rotation may be imparted to the sling at will, either by continually pulling one of the downwardly extending portions of the driving member t, or by alternately pulling both of said parts, or by applying retarding friction to .one of said parts in excess of the other when they are running in a pair, to compensate for swinging movement of the instrument, and this control and this manipulation are available at all times regardless of other movements being imparted to the instrument.

8 represents the known swinging cables which are attached to the swivel b and pass around overhead guide-sheaves 8 to counterbalances 8*, beyond which they preferably terminate in manipulating ends 8". These swinging cables help in resisting rotary movement of the upper portion of the swivel b, which effect is further insured by the double point suspension of cable 1, as already described.

In using the device, the instrument will be raised the desired distance from the stage or other supporting surface by rotation of the Windlass 2 2 during or after which, rotary or oscillating movements may be imparted by the driving cable 4; and simultaneously or subsequently swinging movements be developed through means of the swinging cables 8, or by means of the compensating cable 5 which supports the guide-sheave et it will be understood that by properly selected combinations of the driving forces described, the instrument may be made to execute paths of travel resulting from the combinations of forces developed.

I claim:

1. In a display apparatus, a sling, means for imparting vertical movements to the sling, a flexible connection adapted to impart movements other than vertical to said sling and extending laterally therefrom, a guide-sheave around which said flexible connection passes, and a connection between said guide-sheave and the elevating means, whereby the guide-sheave is raised and lowered simultaneously with the sling.

2. In a display apparatus, the combination of a sling, a swivel carrying a pulley through which to impart rotation to said sling, a flexible driving connection for said pulley extending laterally therefrom, a guide-sheave for said driving connection having a runner, a guide-rod upon which said runner is mounted, and means for raising and lowering said sling and runner.

3. In a display apparatus, the combination of a sling, a swivel carrying a pulley through which to impart rotation to said sling, a flexible driving connection for said pulley extending laterally therefrom, a guide sheave for said driving connection having a runner, a guide-rod upon which said runner is mounted, and means for raising and lowering said sling and runner, comprising a suspending cable, a controlling block connected with said cable and having means through which to traverse it, and a connection between said controlling block and said runner.

4. In a display apparatus, a suspending means permitting freedom of lateral movement, a sling connected with said suspending means and having means for imparting rotation thereto, a duplex flexible driving connection for rotating the sling, extending laterally from its rotating means, a guide around which said duplex driving connection extends, a remote guide around which said driving connection passes, and means for yieldingly supporting said remote guide and adapting it to compensate for extension and retraction of the rotating connection resulting from swinging movement of the sling.

5. In a display apparatus, a sling, a suspending member permitting freedom of swinging movement to said sling, a pulley carried by said sling through which to ro tate it, an endless flexible driving member for passing around said pulley, a compensating guide-sheave around which said endless driving member passes, and a yielding support for said compensating sheave.

6. In a display apparatus, a sling, an elevating support supporting said sling with freedom of rotation; an endless driving member for rotating said sling, a runner offset laterally from said sling and carrying guide-sheaves for the driving member and movable vertically with the sling, and a compensating sheave around which the endless driving member passes, having a yielding support, which permits it to compensate for vertical changes in the position of said runner.

7. In a display apparatus, a sling having means for rotating it and means suspending it with freedom of movement other than rotary; a flexible driving connection for imparting rotary movement to the sling, a remote guide-sheave around which the flexible driving connection passes, and a compensating support for said remote guide-sheave comprising a suitable guided cable connected with said sheave and a counter-balance on said cable.

8. In a display apparatus, a sling, means for raising and lowering said sling and supporting it with freedom of movements other than vertical, a runner mounted to move vertically with said sling, means for imparting swinging movements to the sling, a flexible connection for imparting rotary movements to the sling and having suitable guides on said runner over which it travels during such swinging movements, as well as in rotating the sling, a guide for said flexible guiding connection around which it travels during its movement in rotating the sling and also in compensating for vertical and swinging movements of the sling, a remote guide around which said flexible guiding connectionruns in its movement to impart rotation to the sling, and a compensating support for said remote guide taking up slack in or yielding the flexible driving connection to compensate for both vertical and swinging movements of the slim In testimony whereof the foregoing specification is signed in the presence of two witnesses.

GEORGE T. THOMPSON.

WVitnesses DAVID G. KINDLEBERGER, Hnnvnr S. KNIGHT.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addresslng the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. 0., 

